Józef H. Retinger: Szara Eminencja Myśli Europejskiej

Temat pracy w całości poświęcony jest tezie dotyczącej działalności Józefa Retingera na polu integracji europejskiej we wczesnych latach jej rozwoju.

The modern-day process of uniting the European nations has been supported and influenced to great degree by the geopolitical forces of Europe and the events that followed the Second World War. As with every great and truly inspiring idea there is also a list of both thinkers and doers who literally put words into action. The most eminent of these are often referred to as the pioneers of European thinking or are even called as the Founding Fathers of the modern European Union. This special list includes politicians, statesmen, economists and many others whose influence might be measured by their noble deeds on European field of politics. We may argue about the exact length of that list but it goes without saying that there are such names that deserve our eternal gratitude and memory. People like Paul-Henri Spaak, Robert Schuman, Jean Monnet, Alcide de Gasperi, Konrad Adenauer and naturally Winston Churchill are all equally respected and remembered by the many. Obviously they were all outstanding figures who during their lifetime were at the focus of public attention. Some had admiration and honors lavished upon them. Theirs names were familiar to all and they also left their stamp on the trends and events of their day. On the other hand, there were others who became despised and rejected. Their names are still not familiar even after so many years of research on the EU. This is the problem I try to deal with in my work. The problem of a fact that there have been always the others who achieved a lot but nobody really appreciate job they have done. Men whose influence was no less great, whose personalities left a deep mark on their times but who were known only to restricted circles. To the world at large, their names still ring no bells but it takes a great deal of patience and forbearance to understand their motives and features in order to understand why these bells do not ring audibly. One of them who truly deserves our attention nowadays was Doctor Joseph H. Retinger. An irrepressible organizer, great Polish patriot and pioneer of the European Union, who was undoubtedly one of the most significant figures as far as efforts to unite Europe are concerned but who still remains an unsolved mystery in European affairs. Lack of clear-cut data and proper political image make him commonly unrecognizable and forsaken. What Retinger was or indeed who he was, has baffled a generation of historians who have discovered his name or his influence in a score of places, seemingly unconnected, often implausible, sometimes incomprehensible. Throughout his long and mysterious career on the international political scene, Retinger was described as an agent of mysterious origin. Whatever the truth might be, he really was an agent who was representing the noble vision of United Europe we now tend to call, the European Union.